“The most important thing I will present to the government is how the 1:15 ratio between the lowest and highest salaries in the public system will be applied,” Sarbu told Business Standard.

According to the Minister of Labor, the law will go into effect as of 1 January 2010, because the drafting of such a law was a condition for receiving the loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but the way in which the law will be applied depends on Parliament.

“Things appear to be all right, but this law may prove to be an acid test for the ruling coalition. It will be a hard decision, but if the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) parliamentary groups support the draft, the possibility for this government lasting four years is much greater,” Sarbu said.

The Labor Minister expects the number of unemployed to amount to 800,000 people by year-end, with the jobless rate ranging from 7-8 percent.